Page 146 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“You deserve it.” I patted her back. “Although you’re going to have to work on your people skills.”

“My people skills are fine, when I want them to be.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you going to go back to Texas?”

Was I? Brooke and I hadn’t exactly parted on agreeable terms, but I needed to see her. I’d stand at the edge of her property for a week if that’s what it took before she’d talk to me. “Yes.”

“I’ll arrange for the jet to be ready for us.” Courtney pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I want to properly meet this woman who’s taking my brother from me.”

Chapter 39

-Brooke-

I stepped onto my front porch half expecting to hear Frank barking and see William walking up my driveway.

Instead, I was greeted by the rising sun and an empty ranch.

I’d spent the entire plane ride home waffling between hating every man in my life and wishing William was sitting next to me so he could put his arm around me.

The tears had been the worst part. You’d think after so many hours of being weepy that they’d run dry, but so far that hadn’t happened. As my eyes drifted to the spot where William and I had first kissed, moisture began gathering.

I wiped it away. I needed to think, not cry.

Apparently Pidge still wasn’t working right, so that’s where I decided to start. The green tractor and I had plenty of history, but none of it included the machine meddling with my life, so it felt like a safe place.

Unlike the last time I’d had to dig into the machine, today it sat in a barn. The hinges of the doors squeaked as I pulled them open, and I could have sworn the whole place let out a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked the building.

Of course there was no answer, but I could imagine it saying, “I’m old and tired.”

My grandfather, my dad, and my uncles had built the barn. It was still sturdy, but each year it looked more weathered, and I could see daylight through a dozen gaps between boards.

I reached out and ran my fingers along the rough wall as I went toward the tractor. Half of the massive space was full of things that we might need. The other half housed two tractors and an old buggy that hadn’t been pulled out in years. I wasn’t even sure we had a harness for it anymore.

The scent of oil and dust hung in the air, and when I flipped the overhead lights on, I swear I could hear roaches running for cover.

None of this was new. In fact, it felt comfortable.

Or had, up until William had swept my life out from under me.

I’d gotten past blaming him. I hated even thinking that Todd had been a little bit right, but I’d never asked my dad about inheriting the ranch. I’d assumed he’d see my hard work and reward me. What I hadn’t anticipated was him thinking I was here because I felt obligated to be.

This is the only place I’d wanted to be when lawyering fell apart. The ranch had continued to feel like my home, until William.

I grabbed my barn bag of tools from a rickety table and dropped them in front of Pidge. My hands moved to my hips. “What’s wrong with you this time, darlin’?”

Thank goodness the tractor didn’t say anything, or I would have had to go check myself in somewhere.

Grit coated the metal and got onto my fingers as I patted it. “Let’s see what we can do with you, shall we?” I made short work of climbing up and bringing Pidge to life. The engine purred for a moment, before it sputtered and died. I went to try again, just in case Pidge was being obstinate for fun, when a voice echoed through the barn.

“I have a mechanic coming today.”

I about jumped off the seat as I jerked my head to see my dad in the doorway. He was leaning against the wall wearing overalls, a ratty red shirt, boots, and his signature brown cowboy hat. I should have known he’d be up this early.

Auto pilot kicked in and I said, “Why did you call a mechanic? You know I can fix it.”

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